| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
OK, so I have a front porch railing that's rotted. 31 years old...it's due. Columns that hold the porch roof are solid (and apparently cedar) but the porch rails are trash. Traditional house, stone colonial...but spindly 4" victorian columns and a 36" tall porch rail with spindly toothpick-looking balusters. I'm going to wrap the columns in PVC trim, making them about 6" square. Much more in tune with the colonial style of the house. And I'm going to do a 24" tall rail - mainly so I can see my damned view when I sit on the porch - but also because that will put rail height at the same level as windowsills. Which, architecturally...it should be. And I'll have thicker, square balusters - more traditional, like the rest of the house is. My question - as I wrap the columns, should I leave open airspace in there? or fill them with spray foam to help eliminate potential moisture problems inside the new PVC shell? I'm doing a simple 4 plank box around the existing posts...front and back should be tight against the 4x4, but there will be about 1/2" gap on the sides...and there's the airspace around the sculpted/lathe-turned round sections. FWIW, all the porch structure has been wrapped since day one (1987) in aluminum...only the posts are exposed. I'm guessing "wrapping wood" is OK, just want to make sure I get it right! | ||
| Ducbsa |
I'm not an architect, but this seems to call for higher railings than you want: http://ca.wagnerarchitectural.com/wp-content/uploa ds/2017/04/Guide-to-Handrail-and-Guard-Rail-Buildi ng-Codes-and-Standards-1.pdf I also confess I didn't read the whole thing, but maybe if your porch is less than 4 ft above the ground, your railing height is OK. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm not worried about code or railing height. Main concern for me is wrapping those columns properly so they don't rot. | ||
| Rkc00 |
Railing height is to low by code | ||
| Hootowl |
As long as you keep moisture away from the wood, it will not rot. Filling the void with foam will help to keep insects out, but if you caulk the joints on the PVC wrap, that'll keep them out too. PVC is pretty stable, so as long as you use the correct caulk, the joints should never open up. | ||
| Hootowl |
Also, glue the PVC boards together, don't just nail them to the post. You can find the glue you need where you buy the boards. If you glue them properly, you may not even need to caulk the joints before you paint. | ||
| Teeps |
Why not just install proper columns? | ||
| Court |
Watch for scope creep ..... I started with a minor repair and am getting a new roof .....barn & house .....vinyl siding ripped off .... replaced with ShakertownWestern Red Cedar and all new windows and doors. Oops | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Personally, I would worry about any enclosed cavity in the structure. Critters can be terrible room mates. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Again - not concerned with rail heights. My only question was about leaving air space, or filling the gaps, inside the wraps. I'm doing nothing structural, so no permitting required. No new columns, no jacking the roof, nothing like that. Strictly cosmetics. If the columns were weak, I'd do whole columns. They're not, so I'm not. | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
although he is not asking about the rail, I believe his jurisdiction in his profile noted state uses the 2015 IRC with local amendments. guardrail height is 36" min and only needed if the drop off is 30" or greater. the 4" sphere restriction would also be enforced. give the columns a fresh coat of paint, don't worry about filling the cavities...seal all joints, including top and bottom of new trim work. should be fine. | ||
| H0gwash |
Maybe put a "weep hole" at the very bottom of the column trim to let any water drain out which may find its way in at the top however that may be. Maybe even in the heaviest rains those columns don't get wet at the top, in that case, venting is probably a non issue. 24 inch tall railing is not the most evil code violation, but your heaviest and oldest friends may want to sit on a 24 inch high rail much more than they would a 36 inch high rail, so the sturdier rail infill may be good for this. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hell's bells. I tried to clear a clog in my puny little bathroom sink with not one, but 2 different snakes, and then made my own snake by cutting a piece of plastic covered steel cord. I made it WORSE, 100%blocked. Calling a plumber unless youn's have a better idea. | ||
| Hootowl |
http://www.liquidfiredraincleaner.com This will clear anything. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
I'm not an expert by any means, but that squirt foam in my experience has about a zillion little bubble holes in it. I would think that if water got in the space between the column and the wrapper it could get trapped in any of those little bubbles that are cracked open and keep things moist longer. Add to it that the foam would block any drafts that might tend to dry the moisture and I think that compounds the problem. I wouldn't use the foam. I would seal the hell out of the outside. | ||
| Hootowl |
The important thing is to seal it. If water and insects can't get in there, you don't have to worry about the void. Elastomeric caulk at top and bottom, PVC cement to tie the planks together. | ||
| Hootowl |
http://www.remodeling.hw.net/products/sticky-situa tion-the-latest-pvc-trim-adhesives-on-the-market | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
On the plumbing side, I would suggest against adding chemicals if it's closed right off. You're only going to end up having that sprayed in your face or someone else's. I had a really slow drain in my downstairs sink and tried the snake but it got nowhere. What I ended up doing was pouring pots of boiling water down the drain and feeling the pipe in the basement for where it stops being hot. I then cut a section out with a sawsall and removed the clog with a snake from that area. VERY big mess. But it worked. I closed off the pipe with rubber hose and wormgear clamps from McMaster. My clog was really weird. The previous owners of the house owned a fuel oil company/oil burner service. The crap that came out of the pipe was oil-soaked pummice from lava soap! It was like cement. | ||
| Hootowl |
If there's standing water, do not use the product linked above. Slow is fine, just let it drain first. Follow the directions. There are many precautions. Wear a face shield. Put something over the drain so that if it erupts it doesn't go everywhere. DO NOT LOOK INTO THE DRAIN. This stuff is 95% sulfuric acid. When you can find it in stores, the plastic bottle is inside a plastic bag on the shelf. I've found it at Home Depot and Ace Hardware in the past. When nothing else does the trick, this does. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If its a sink....I install rubber P-trap elbows instead of PVC. Clog? Simply squeeze and flex...and it breaks free. | ||
| Hootowl |
If the clog is in the P trap, worst case you replace the thing. They're damn near free. The time I needed this stuff, it was a tub. Harder to get to the trap. If you use this, don't ignore the warnings. This stuff is professional strength. Real professional strength, not marketing gimmick consumer grade "professional strength". | ||
| Airbozo |
I've had good luck with this guy (just make sure your pipes can handle the pressure. Do not use on plastic pipes. Learned that lesson the hard way):  https://www.supplyhog.com/c/plumbing-supplies/drai n-openers-septic-tank-treatments/air-water-pressur e-drain-openers/p/do-it-best-water-pressure-drain- opener-cleaning-bladder-3 | ||
| 86129squids |
I've pulled the p-trap and a small section of PVC that goes into the wall, then shoved one of those bladders in as far as I could, nada. Tried twice, second time the dang bladder backed out of the pipe under pressure. That was yesterday, finally gave up and grabbed a cold one... My first trip to the co-op, I picked up that Liquid Fire, then came home to read the instructions... yikes!! Yes, I'd already put Drano down, and there's standing water... got scared, I'll hold onto that stuff for future use if needed. Don't want an explosion of acid and sulfur, oh hell no. Gonna try again here in a bit. It's been raining monsoon style around here, if I can get a dry roof I may try from the roof vent. OK, JUST tried the bladder thingy, no bueno. Just can't get it 100% in the pipe to start, so it backs out. Either gonna have to call someone or see if my do it all buddy coming to town tomorrow can help. At least it's just the bathroom sink, not the toilet or shower or something worse. | ||
| Teeps |
squids, when my bathroom sink backs up. The only way I can get it going is attacking the clog from the roof vent. If you can get a drain cleaning service to go on the roof, make sure they use the largest cutter blade that will go down the pipe... Other wise they will punch a hole and all is good, but for a short time. Now back to Ratbuell's question: Do not use spray foam! Moisture will collect in it and bad things will happen. | ||
| 86129squids |
Teeps, that may be the only remaining option. Once the roof dries, I'll try myself with the snake- it MIGHT be long enough. Snake first, then hose once I block the drains down the line. Oh, and Joe, my apologies for the hijack. My dad was never much of a "handyman", thus I never learned. One of my earliest memories in the garage was looking into his toolbox, full of various nails and screws... most all the nails were bent. He kept them for some reason. Worked his whole life as a newspaper press mechanic though, go figure. | ||
| Hootowl |
"most all the nails were bent" My grandfather grew up during the depression. He never threw away a nail. So my dad never threw away a nail. I have three buckets of used nails. I need to break the cycle. | ||
| Teeps |
Hoot, Within weeks after you throw them out; you'll be at homedepot buying new ones. Long as there is room to store; let the cycle continue! | ||
| Airbozo |
It seems that whenever I try to keep bent nails, they always end up in one of my tires... They always go in the recycle bin now, the moment I pull them or dork them up. | ||
| Hootowl |
Thing is, I don't use nails any longer. (Except on the roof.) I use screws. So I'm never going to use the nails in those buckets. Ever. Some packrat is going to go bonkers at my estate sale. "Excuse me sir, what's the starting bid for the lot of bent nails, extension cords with one end cut off, and swing arm lamps with no springs?" | ||
| Airbozo |
When I returned from the Navy, I found that my dad had cut off all of the power cords to my amps, recording equipment and other items because he "needed them". WTF? Nail guns rock though. I rarely pound a nail anymore. Screws just don't have the sheer strength of nails, but screws have a higher tensile strength. | ||
| Hootowl |
I misspoke. I do use nails. As long as I can shoot them. The buckets of nails will never be shot. |
